US1562348A - Individual toothbrush sterilizer and holder - Google Patents

Description

lNew'. 17,1925- v J. w. LOCKERY IND` IVIDAL TOOT'HBRSHSTERILIZER AND HOLDER Filed 'July e. i923 v vv al. @.7 M

lNvl-:NjroR BY o v ATTORNEY Patenied'mvg 17, 1925.

JOHN W. LOCKERY, oF scannen-PENNSYLVANIA INDITIIVIDUAL TOOTHBRUSH STERILIZEB AND HOLDER.

Application ll'ed July 6, 1923.` Serial No. 649,899.

To all whomt may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN W. LOCKERY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new' and useful `Improvements in Individual which the following is a specilication- The object of my said invention is the provision of an individual tooth brush holder and sterilizer characterized by simplicity and cheapness of construction, the capacity Ato hermetically seal the brush that it contains, the adaptability to be quickly and easily cleaned, and the facility with which a brush may be reachedA and sterilized 'and removed for use and the facility with which the brush may be replaced to drain and be sealed.

ing of the individual tooth brush holders and sterilizers of glass, porcelain or other vitreous materiall so as to promote the sanitary character of the devices and at the same time render it feasible to make the devices in different colors of markedcon-v trast so that different members of a family may have nov diiiiculty whatever in identifying the holder and sterilizer that .contains his or her individual tooth brush.

To the attainment of the foregoing, the invention consists in the'improvement as hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification i Figure yl is a side elevation showing a tooth brush holder and sterilizer constituting one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same taken in the plane indicated by the line 2 2 of Figure l. l

Figure 3` is a horizontal section of the same taken in the plane indicated by the line 3 3 of Figure 2 looking downwardly.

' Figure 4 is a side elevation of a modified tooth brush holder and sterilizer.

Figure 5 is a vertical cross-section of another modification.'

Figure 6 is a4 horizontal section of the same takenl in the plane indicated by the line (3f-6 of Figure 5, looking downwardly.

Similar numerals designate corresponding parts in F igures'l to 3 to which reference will first be made.

The body l of my novel toothbrush holder and sterilizer is tubular in form, open at its'upper end, and provided at its lower en-d with aheav'y base 2 so that when it is desired to standthe body on a vtable or other support there will be little liability of the body turningfover. Primarily the body is designed Vto be hung on a wall support, and to said end the body is provided at 3 with an integral apertured lug adapted vto be placed over the upstanding portion of a bracket 4 such as shown in Figure 1. The' said body l is of glass or other appropriate l vitreous material, and the forward portion My inventionalso contemplates the makof'its upright wall is o'f less height than the rear portion of said wall, as designated by 5 in Figure-2 so that when the cover 6 is removed froin the body l, the handle. 7 of a tooth brush in the holder and sterilizer may be readily grasped'for the removal of said- A brush from the holder and sterilizer vas well 'as for the convenient manipulation of vthe brush in the holder and sterilizer as will be hereinafter set forth in detail. The cover 6 is provided with a knob 8, preferablyl knurled as illustrated, vand it will further be noted that the cover is characterized bypendent annularyflanges 9 and 1 0, spaced apart to receive between them the upper end of the body l and also to seat between them a vgasket 11 which is adapted tobe superimposed on the upper end o f the body l with a View to contributing to the hermetical closure of the body l when the tooth brush 7 is therein contained. At its'under-v.

side the cover 6 is chambered as indicated by 12 to receive the'upper end ofthe handle of the tooth brush after the'manner illustrated inv Figure 2. I would also have it understood atl this point thatagrol'indu` assure the closure being air tight when the cover 6 is superimposed on the body'l. In the center of the bottom of the body 1 is a stud 13, and superimposed on the said bottom, about the said stud, is an expansion spring 14 which is adapted to rest in a body 15 of antiseptic solution and is also' designed to yieldingly support a tooth brush supporting platform 16, the said platform having a central pendent portion '17v disposed in the upper convolutions of the spring and being also provided with spaced and bifurcated' arms 18, Figure 3, so as to permit of the free passage ofthe solution that drips from the toothbrush bri-stles back into the bodyy of solution contained in the lower'portion of the body 1. i

In the practical use of the embodiment illustrated, the tooth brush is held in the holder and sterilizer after the manner clearly shown in Figure 2so that any excess solution that may be in the bristles of the brush can freely drip back into the body of solution. Then it 'is desired to use the brushv it is simply necessary lfor the user to remove the cover' 6, and grasp the handle yof the brush and then move the brush downL wardly against the action of the spring 14 until some or all of the bristles of the brush are immersed in the body 'of antiseptic solut1oni 15, whereupon the brush 1s removed from the body and is used in conventional manner, and then replaced in the body 1.

, Manifestly the comparatively low height of the upper end of the front portion 'of the body 1 will contribute materially to the facility with which the brush handle may be graspedv and the brush may be manipulated in-the manner described." It .will also be noted here that when the brush is replaced in the. body land the saidbody 1 is closed .through the medium of the cover 6, the brush will becompletely isolated from the dust and air of the apartment in which the brush holder and sterilizer. is disposed', and at the same time the brush will be yieldingly maintained by the spring vabove the body of antiseptic solution so as to thoroughly drain the antiseptic solution from the bristles back into the body of solution. It will further be noted that when it is desired to clean the holder andsterilizer, the same can be expeditiously and easily accomplished 'after the body 1 is removed from the bracket 4. .y A In the modification of my invention l shown inFigure 4, the body 1a is designed to receive antiseptic solution as shown together with a float 20 of glass or other appropriatematerial, the float being designed to be forced down to or near the bottom of v the tubular body when the brush is. pushed downwardly in the body, and the float being also designed upon removal of pressure from the brush torise 'and .supportthe brush in raised Aposition and with its han dle end in position relative to the upper end of the body to permit ofsaid handle end being conveniently grasped. It will also ybe noted that the float will serve when force is removedfrom the brush to support the brush above the solution so as to permit solution to drain from the bristles back into the body of solution: The float in practice will be made to closely fit the inside ofthe Atubular body, though there willbe sufficient 4clearance to permit the float to freely move up and down. BothV ends of the float are rounded, and whendesired the float can be removed for cleansing purposes by simply inverting the tube. y

It will also be noticed that the upper end of the forward portion of the body laL is cut away as indicated by 5a for-the purpose beforedescribed with reference to the` embodiment in Figures 1 to 3, and that thecover 6,

in Figure 4, is exteriorly similar to the cover (i, of Figures 1 and 2.

In the modification of my invention shown in Figures 5 and 6,v the body 1 is partitioned to provide two compartments lb and 1C, the compartment 1b being designed to contain antiseptic solution 15a, and the precedentfto use of the brush, and then after use of the brush, the brush is returned to the compartment 1, and rthe cover 6a-which as shown is formed with aconcavity above the partition to allow fumes', vapor and the above the partition and to the compartmentl 1c so that it will come in Contact with the brush therein as will be readilyapparent upon viewing Figure 5 of the drawings. This action taking placeafter' the cover has been replaced, which will also result in the brush being preserved in l' a hermetically sealed casing, and the bristles will be permitted to drain antiseptic solution into the lower portion of the compartment l'3 so that the drainings will also keep the vbrush in a sanitary condition.

`Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure'by Letters Pat-- tent, is:'- M

An `individual tooth brush holder and sterilizer comprising a body partitioned to providetwo side by side compartments, one

like from the antiseptic solution to pass of said compartments 4being' adapted to receive a predetermined quantity of. antiseptic solution, va -f stationary 'foraminous rest iao bridging,r the Walls of' the other Compartment and come in Contact 'with the .brush ment and arranged adjacent the lower end therein, parallel spaced flanges depending 10 thereof to support a tooth brush to drain 1 from the cover and engaging thelinner and therein, d, @over for said body and being outer sides of the Wall of the body and said formed with a coneavity overlying the parwall and 'flanges cooperating to form a hertition whereby fumes from the antiseptic sometically seal therebetween. lution in the solution compartment will pass In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

above the partition into the other compart- JOHN W. LOCKERY.

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